It’s hard to overstate the cultural impact of Breaking Bad. In its five seasons, the violent, morally murky tale of Walter White has racked up several Emmys, propelled its star onto the A-list, helped legitimize AMC as an entertainment force, and challenged The Wire for “enthusiastic recommendation” supremacy. And now it’s just about over.

A TV show can’t enter the pantheon of all-time greats, however, without inviting lots of curiosity and speculation along the way. As Breaking Bad‘s popularity grew, so did media interest and Internet memeing–and Co.Create was far from immune. Now that the August 11 final season premiere is almost upon us, we’ve cobbled together a comprehensive guide to our coverage of the sights, sounds, and stars of the show, as well as the mad genius behind it all.

Among the highlights: Vince Gilligan talks about writing the end and shares some golden storytelling insights, a fascinating look (or listen) into the power of small sounds in the show, interviews with Bryan Cranston (Walter White), Anna Gunn (Skyler White), and Mark Margolis (Tio Salamanca), a philosophical look at why characters like Walter hit us so hard, and a whole bunch of Breaking Bad-related art and video.

Look through the slides above to learn everything there is to know about the show’s chemical makeup before it breaks down completely.

[Photo Illustration: Joel Arbaje for Fast Company | All Images courtesy of AMC]TI